How A Bill Becomes A Law

The road a bill takes to becoming a law is a long and tedious process. First, the proposed bill goes through the House of representatives. Once the bill has been approved by the House, it is then begins its journey through the Senate. After the bill has been endorsed by the Senate, the houses of congress then meet in conference committees to prepare the bill to be sent to the White House. To summarize, the path the bill takes to become a law is a fairly complex impediment.

Now to begin, the bill must primarily go through the obstacles of the House. First, a sponsor introduces the bill by giving it to the clerk of the House or placing the bill in a box called the “hopper”. The clerk numbers and gives a title to the bill and is then entered in the House journal and in the Congressional Record in a procedure called the first reading. Immediately following the first reading, the Speaker of the house assigns the bill to a certain committee. The House has about twenty standing or permanent committees of which each has jurisdiction over bills in a specific area. The committee then studies the bill by hearing the testimony of experts or other interested people. In some cases, a subcommittee (140 in the House) conducts the study. The committee may revise and release the bill by reporting it out, or lay it aside so that the house cannot vote on it by tabling. Because the standing committee only chooses what they think is worthwhile, most bills die in committee, this is called “pigeon-holed”. Before the bill goes to the floor for consideration, a bill reported by a standing committee is placed on one of five specific calendars: union calendar, house calendar for public bills, private calendar, consent calendar (no opposition), or a discharge calendar. The Rules Committee may call for quick action on the bill, limit debate, and limit or prohibit amendments. otherwise, a bill might never reach the house floor. The consideration of the house begins with the second reading of the bill. The third reading by title only, comes after any amendments have been added. If the bill passes a simple majority of only one more then half the votes, it goes to the Senate. This stage of how a bill becomes a law is very fair in the fact that there are limitations in certain aspects so not just any bill is passed. To repeat, for example, the Rules Committee first lookes at the bill and ...

... middle of paper ...

...then reconsidered and if two-thirds of those members present approve the vetoed bill, it becomes law despite the veto. If the President decides to ignore and take no action on the bill, it is given ten days excluding Sundays. It becomes a law even with out the chief executive’s signature. When the bill becomes a law, it is given a number that indicates which congress passed it. A strength of this legislative process is that here all of the makings of a law come together in action to finalize and complete the bill. To ensample, the House and Senate make comprimises and then the President gives his contribution. In conclusion, the bill has been through all of the revising and has passed through the President and is now a law.

Evidently, it is an extensive and labored trail to the development of a bill to a law. Initially the bill is introduced to the House of Representatives where important readings take place. Secondly, the bill goes the Senate where the it is debated. Third, the bill is altered by both Houses and then placed on President’s desk where he or she approves, vetoes, or ignores the bill. Ultimately, the procedure of a bill to law encounters many obstacles to conquer.